Doing everything 'in, with, through, and for' Mary

[4EverHis]

When I first made my Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary, everything was going so well. But after two months of sin, spiritual struggle, etc, I feel like I’ve been going downhill in my devotion… I haven’t been living out my Consecration as I should. Today being Our Lady’s birthday, I made a new commitment to try to live it out. I want to pray the Little Crown every morning and follow De Montfort’s advice…

but there’s one thing I don’t understand so well, and that’s doing everything “in, with, through, and for” Mary. I understand the reasons for it, and I agree with it… but HOW do we do this, practically?

how do you keep it in mind and don’t forget?

is there a prayer we can say, or is it more of an interior intention? I wish I could find a way to live like this constantly…

I think in De Montfort’s list of ‘false devotees’, I’d be the “inconstant devotee” (I think that’s what it’s called…)

does anyone have any advice on what’s worked for them? I remember in August there were a few people who made their Consecrations has it been difficult to live it out? at first I was given so much grace to help me, but then i got distracted and when God wanted to test my devotion, …I feel I’ve failed the test. I want to try again

 

[Eucharisted]

You work in Mary because she is your mother.
You work with Mary because she is your sister.
You work through Mary because she is your mediatrix.
You work for Mary in that you spread devotion to her. But you do not work for her in that you serve her; God alone is served.

 

[John_Russell_Jr]

When I first made my Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary, everything was going so well. But after two months of sin, spiritual struggle, etc, I feel like I’ve been going downhill in my devotion… I haven’t been living out my Consecration as I should. Today being Our Lady’s birthday, I made a new commitment to try to live it out. I want to pray the Little Crown every morning and follow De Montfort’s advice…

but there’s one thing I don’t understand so well, and that’s doing everything “in, with, through, and for” Mary. I understand the reasons for it, and I agree with it… but HOW do we do this, practically?

how do you keep it in mind and don’t forget?

is there a prayer we can say, or is it more of an interior intention? I wish I could find a way to live like this constantly…

I think in De Montfort’s list of ‘false devotees’, I’d be the “inconstant devotee” (I think that’s what it’s called…)

does anyone have any advice on what’s worked for them? I remember in August there were a few people who made their Consecrations has it been difficult to live it out? at first I was given so much grace to help me, but then i got distracted and when God wanted to test my devotion, …I feel I’ve failed the test. I want to try again

Dear Monica

Mary’s will is the same as Gods will. This is an interior disposition we have. Do everything with Mary’s aid in the form of the graces She gives you and the Blessed Angels she sends to help you, do everyhthing through Mary in that you give absolutely everyhthing to Her so She can perfect it and offer it to Her Son - She makes our hopeless efforts something sublime before She presents it to Her Son, and do it all for May because you love Her and want to be Her most faithful child and you want to take the sword out of Her Immaculate Heart in whatever way you can.

The whole idea is to give everything to Mary so She can make it something much more perfect and offer it to Her Son. If we offer straight to Jesus it will not be as perfect an offering. So always have these intentions even if your not constantly thinking about it and your extremely pleasing to Mary and Jesus. All they really want is for us to be very loving and put a lot of love into all we do. They want our love- that’s all.

Hope this helps.

God bless you:thumbsup:

John

 

[nuntym]

4EverHis,

I learned it the hard way. It is simple really, but oh so easy to forget: Let go, and let Mama. And to do that is easy. As St. de Montfort said:

We should give ourselves up to the spirit of Mary to be moved and directed as she wishes. We should place and leave ourselves in her virginal hands, like a tool in the hands of a craftsman or a lute in the hands of a good musician. We should cast ourselves into her like a stone thrown into the sea. This is done easily and quickly by a mere thought, a slight movement of the will or just a few words as, “I renounce myself and give myself to you, my dear Mother.” And even if we do not experience any emotional fervour in this spiritual encounter it is none the less real. It is just as if a person with equal sincerity were to say - which God forbid! - “I give myself to the devil.” Even though this were said without feeling any emotion, he would no less really belong to the devil.
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, Chapter 7, paragraph 259

That’s it. Just a quick thought or even (as I usually do) a mental sigh of “Mama, it’s all up to you” would suffice.

If you want to make this second nature, then there is no other way to do this but with practice. Pray to Mama Mary frequently, and not just the devotions prescribed by St. de Montfort. Talk to her in your own words. Call her “Mother” or “Mama” or “Mommy”, for she really is your mother. Tell her your fears, your loves, your happiness, your sadness, your distractions, your everything. Tell her not once, but twice, or even thrice, or even more. Leave nothing secret to her. When you are distracted during your vocal prayers, don’t pay mind to them. If the distractions are too great, stop, tell Mama “Oops, there goes my mind again. Sorry. Help me Mama,” then continue as if nothing happened. And remember what St. de Montfort commented when he described “inconstant devotees”:

It is better not to burden ourselves with a multitude of prayers and pious practices but rather adopt only a few and perform them with love and perseverance in spite of opposition from the devil the world and the flesh.

Do not be anxious 4EverHis. Read what you posted:

at first I was given so much grace to help me, but then i got distracted and when God wanted to test my devotion, …I feel I’ve failed the test. I want to try again

You are now entering spiritual desolation, or the “dark night of the soul,” as St. John of the Cross calls it. Your faith is now becoming true faith; that is, you are entering the phase where your faith is not being sustained by the sensible grace of consolations, but by supernatural grace, a grace that cannot be felt. God permits this to souls who are advancing in grace so that these souls would learn to not love the consolations, but rather love the One who gives consolations.

Be of good cheer! I am sure you have not failed the test. Go on! Persevere! Remember that spiritual desolation is not given to those who are spiritual babies who can only feed on the milk of sensible consolation, but Saints who are now maturing and can now be nourished by the strong meat of insensible grace.

God bless you, and always remember: God loves you, and Mama Mary loves you

 

[onetruechurch]

Hi Classmates in, with, for and through Mary!

Now you know why our mama “wears combat boots”…as Father Corapi so affectionately likes to say. We are still part of the church militant and Mary is our Joan of Arc leading us through our daily battles. Life is not going to get easier just because we have Mary as our leader. We are still her foot soldiers climbing the steep winding dangerous jungle of life. We are no longer following the easy gingerbread and chocolate covered road of Satan.
When we consecrate ourselves to Mary we become more aware of our daily and past faults and sins. Even though we have confessed all our past sins we still carry the consequences of how we hurt others through our sins. I think I can speak for all of us when I say our greatest sin is PRIDE. When we go through a day and fall at least seven times we can’t believe it happened to us…after all, we are consecrated to Mary. Just remember, even the “just man/woman falls seven times a day”. It is a sin of pride to think we are better than the “just man or woman”.

4EverHis, please don’t consider it a failure when you fall seven times a day. Pick yourself up by your “bootstraps” ask Mary to kiss your boo boo’s and thank God for another day of challenges. God love you!